A scene from Cannery Row by John Steinbeckis the subject of this mural which is along the bike and pedestrian path in Monterey, CA. I really had no idea what a treat I was in for when I arrived in this incredibly scenic and historic fishing town. The first full day there I went for a walk along the beach while my sister went for a bike ride. I needed a slower pace and took some time to draw and photograph the harbor and just take in the general flavor. I met a street musician there who performed a sweet rendition of 'Dos Gardenias Para Ti' from the Buena Vista Social Club especially for me.Below are 2 of the drawings of the harbor.

When Mariannne returned from her ride she shared with me a meeting she had with a California Plein Air painter, Barry Marshall. I looked at his website http://barrymarshallpaintings.com/ and discovered he is an accomplished painter . I contacted him via his site and he responded very cordially.That afternoon we decided to take a walk to Cannery Row to find a place to lunch and take the air. It was a bit cool. Cannery Row Brewing Company turned out to be just the ticket and we enjoyed excellent sandwiches and microbrews. We continued our stroll and below is the gallery.

The following afternoon we headed home, that is LA, on the renowned Pacific Coast Highway. We dined at a remote restaurant on Rocky Point near Big Sur. Truly there are many photo ops but I will only present a few.

Cove at Rocky Point.

View from Rocky Point

Lighthouse seen from PCH

Sign warning of waves of unusual size

We arrived late that evening at my sister's condo tired out from our trip and relishing a good night's sleep. I had 2 days to rest and recoup before heading to Tucson. The last evening we took a very pleasant walk along Lake Balboa and I leave you with this peaceful image of one of the resident cranes at sunset.

I left my heart in San Franciscoand my sore muscles. The reason for this enigmatic comment will become clear later in the post. Read on.When I left you last I was preparing for a lovely night's sleep in Kingman, AZ. The following morning I awoke refreshed and ready to continue my journey to LA where I was looking forward to spending a week with my sister, Marianne. After an uneventful 8 hours traveling through the Mojave desert I arrived at my sister's condo in the mid-late afternoon. We immediately began to make preparations to leave the next day for San Francisco where among other items on the agenda she had planned for us to ride bicycles across the Golden Gate bridge. Sounds fun, right?! Well as we all know it's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt.

Before I get to the touristy stuff I thought I'd give everyone a brief glimpse into things I find interesting along the way. The top left pic was taken off the highway to LA somewhere around Barstow I think and the top right is photo of farm workers we passed on the way to SF.

We stopped in Solvang of wine tasting fame and also a very Dutchy kind of town. Marianne insisted upon a brief detour to the Miniature Horse Farm. See for yourself, those ponies are cute.

We arrived in San Francisco at rush hour and were able to find our hotel which happened to be under renovation. This was only a minor inconvenience as it was within walking distance of Fisherman's Wharf where we had a lovely dinner and then walked back to our hotel. My sister did not wish to drive in SF and after seeing the streets I could see why. Those of you who have been there know what I mean. Now I don't want to bore you with too many details so let's suffice it to say we got up the next morning, rented bikes, and proceeded to ride across the infamous Golden Gate Bridge. Below is the photo essay.

The next day I woke up and felt terrible. It had been several years since I have ridden a bike and my body was telling me that 9 miles on somewhat hilly terrain was not the way to begin again. My sister who rides all the time was feeling no pain. I rousted myself out of bed that morning and as the day progressed I began to feel better. We did a little sight seeing, had a lovely dinner that night and I got a good night's rest in preparation for the next leg of our trip. Stay tuned for Monterey.

My first stop after leaving Indianapolis, Indiana the auspicious day of August 23, 2013 was the home of our family friend and adopted aunt, Lea. She resides in the town of Eufala, Oklahoma so named for the lake that attracts all sorts of tourists and sportsmen and is well known for the excellent fishing. It was here I began to collect signage photos for later reference. Sadly I was unable to obtain any ice cream at this Tastee Freeze establishment.

I continued on across this fair land en route to Albuquerque and spent considerable time in Elk City, Oklahoma home of the Route 66 Museum. Homage to my dead cat, Myrtle and Phillips 66 gasoline was paid per above.

Below you see the interior of the first Community Hospital established and run by the Shadid family in 1929 and to the right the interior of the first wooden home built in the area by John Hollis in 1901.

Above are just two of the many antiquities that caught my eye at this well laid out and surprising museum.

And of course, I couldn't resist one more sign for my files.I will relate one interesting occurance in Elk City. Apparently they've adopted the unisex restroom policy because when I stopped at a local gas station to use the necessary there was a man in the Ladies and he wasn't cleaning.Stay tuned for further adventures.FYI - This post takes us to August 25.

Here I am at the Quickdraw event in Trinidad, CO on Saturday, July 21, but I'm jumping ahead of my story. I begin this trip on the previous Sunday as I drove from Tucson to my friend, Ashley's house in Raton, NM. Our plan was to exhibit in the annual art show in Cuchara, CO to which we had already been accepted. I was looking forward to some plein air painting, conversation with artists, and hopefully some sales.

Hatch, NM

Beginning a painting of Ashley's patio in Raton, NM

I rested on Monday after the 11 hour drive to Raton but Tuesday I got busy and started a painting of Ashley's patio using a new technique of pastels on a gessoed board with acrylic underpainting. It is very colorful as you can see. The following day I painted a rose in the garden that had just bloomed before we drove up to drop our artwork off at Cuchara which is about 9,000 ft. elevation and beautiful. The Highway of Legends aka Route 12 that we took up there is a fantastic scenic route and I highly recommend it. The day was overcast and cool which was a welcome relief from the lower elevation heat.

Back of the Rec Center at Cuchara where the show was held

'Folsom Supply" pastel on colorfix paper about 9" X 10"

Peach Rose" acrylic on panel about 9" X 12". Bloomed in Ashley's yard the day I painted it.

Carol Bourdo

We decided to go to Folsom, NM on Friday which is named after the archealogical site where the Folsom points were discovered. There is a very interesting museum there and some abandoned old buildings of which the Folsom Supply is one. We painted that afternoon in the heat and Ashley made plans to organize a local paint out there. Saturday morning I drove to Trinidad for the paint out that was a fundraiser for the Mitchell Museum. Carol Bourdo is one of the local artists who participated.

Ashley outside the theatre before her presentation.

More of the Penasco Theatre mural.

I returned to Raton around noon and we packed the car and headed for Taos. Ashley was scheduled to give a presentation at Pecha Kucha night in Penasco just south of Taos. http://www.pecha-kucha.org/night/taos/7 You can find out all about it on their website and also about the old theatre where it was held at www.penascotheatre.org. Ashley read her poetry as her artwork was shown behind her on a large screen. She was one of 10 presenters which ranged from painters to bee keepers.

'White Stallion Ranch' and 'Brownie' on display at Cuchara.

Buffalo Soldiers Museum in Ft. Garland

We stayed the night in Taos with our artist friend, Mary Barnes, and the following day drove up through Ft. Garland, CO to Cuchara. Sunday was the final day of the show and we were anxious to find out if we had sold anything. We were disappointed I'm sorry to say as there were many more craft booths competing for the potential buyers attention than we had expected. Ashley sold one piece and I sold zip. Too bad I didn't make a painting of that. (sad attempt at humor)

Ashley leaving her garden.

I will end this little tale on an upbeat note however as I truly enjoyed the change of scenery, getting 5 more paintings done, relaxing on the patio as the sun set, and watching old movies and documentaries on Open Culture. I do also very much enjoy visiting my friends in Raton and especially the Chinese Restaurant there; best tofu and vegetable stir fry ever!

Gourmet Girls http://www.gourmetgirlsglutenfree.com/is a gluten free cafe and bakery located at 5845 N. Oracle Rd. in Tucson. As you can see by the photo to the left they also display art work from local artists. I found out about this venue from an artist friend of mine so this was a connection not a find. The paperwork and set up were the standard I've mentioned in previous posts and since I was only displaying three pieces for an indefinite period of time it was very simple.What I want to say about this venue is please go there and try the food, even if you are not gluten intolerant. It is in a word delectable. The baguettes and French breads are every bit as good as those I had in Europe. Truly this is a culinary experience you don't want to miss. Be aware they are only open for breakfast and lunch so plan ahead. Also don't forget to enjoy the gallery hall. One last thing watch for the Gourmet Girls in Cupcake Wars http://www.foodnetwork.com/cupcake-wars/index.html.

'Fruit, Still Life' Oil 6 X 6 $75

'What in the World is Eddie McStiff's' pastel 8 X 7 $110

'Bullet Holes' pastel 13 X 10 $260

And now for a really different venue.Have you ever considered those spaces where you and other people wait? I was getting some routine maintenance done on my car one morning when I looked around and noticed - you guessed it - blank walls. So I asked Jim Mabry, owner of Quantum Mechanics, 5265 E. Pima St. in Tucson if he would like some paintings on the walls.http://www.yelp.com/biz/quantum-mechanics-tucson

Now Jim doesn't have a website that I am aware of so I put up his excellent Yelp reviews. He really is the best mechanic I have ever known. He is fast, reasonable, and dependable. He has been my mechanic for 14 years and I know he has people waiting in his office every day as he is always busy.I brought the three paintings over within the next few days and hung them while waiting on some other work I needed done on the car. I think they brightened up the place nicely plus I have more work on display and not in the closet.My point with this post is don't overlook any blank space to exhibit your art. The main thing to remember - are you comfortable leaving your work there and always keep a list of artwork exhibited and have an agreement.

It is always helpful to have connections. In my case my sister, Marianne Schwab, producer extraordinaire, is a great connection who has connections. She not only boasts to have met many celebrities during her illustrious career but also knows a lot of 'nuts and bolts' people connected to 'the business'. People like Tony Modica, owner of Modica's Deli http://www.modicas.com/ in Long Beach, CA , who provides catering on various sets. Tony also features artists in his very popular deli on Linden Ave. and Ocean Blvd.I met Tony in January 2012 when visiting Marianne. She had told me about the venue the previous summer and I had begun work on the vintage motel sign series expressly with the idea of exhibiting them at Modica's. At the time I had completed about 7 pieces and wanted to show a couple to Tony to see if he would be interested in showing them in his dining area. He was and I said I could have enough ready to hang in a couple of months.

Tony mentioned that the artists who hung work in his deli usually sold and that the only one who didn't do as well refused to put tags with prices on the art. Tony said he thought some Long Beach historic landmarks might go well so Marianne and I drove around snapping reference photos of some local establishments. I returned to Tucson with excitement about the prospect of actually selling paintings. Having planned a trip to Indiana the first of February for 2 months I had to work on the series there. I completed 7 more paintings including one of the Modica's sign. I also scheduled the opening for April 14 which is Second Saturdays in Long Beach and part of Linden Ave. is closed off so artists can set up booths. In addition that weekend coincided with the Long Beach Grand Prix so we expected a lot of traffic. No pun intended.I posted information about the event on my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/katrinawestartist?ref=tn_tnmn and Fine Art America http://katrina-west.artistwebsites.com/ . Marianne also ran an article about the exhibit on her travel blog http://www.best-travel-deals-tips.com/historic-roadside-motel-signs.html.

I arrived in LA five days before the scheduled opening and completed last minute details. The labels I printed for each piece not only included title, size, medium, and price but also a little bit about each building and the FAA website in case anyone was interested in purchasing prints. I also wrote and printed the agreement and bought a holder for my business cards which I was able to attach to the deli wall with permission of course. We drove to Long Beach on Friday and hung the show which was easy because screws were already in the cement wall.

The day of the opening we took the train from North Long Beach to Ocean Blvd. because of the expected race traffic. It was a cool, sunny day and we sat in the deli for a couple of hours. We had something to eat and heard some nice comments about the work. Later we walked around the street fair and visited some galleries that were open. As the night became increasingly chilly we meandered back to Modica's for coffee. Several race car drivers were there having dinner so we got a couple of autographs. I invite everyone to go to Modica's when you are in Long Beach and experience the best pastrami sandwich in the world. Oh and don't forget to notice the Vintage Motel Signs and Others that adorn the walls. You can see all of the work in the exhibit on the page on this site.

Author

I'm just an artist trying to survive and still be creative. In fact I would say it takes a lot of creativity to survive. That's what some would say makes life interesting. I enjoy sharing what I've learned with others as well as just simply commisserating. I look forward to hearing about other's real life art.